BRM Cylinder head removal

TDI817

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 16, 2008
Location
Langford, BC
TDI
2006 Jetta TDI, 2006 Jetta TDI, 2018 Golf-R
Hello everyone. I am working on my 2006 Jetta BRM again after a long time not working on it.

I am removing the cylinder head because the engine failed a compression test and leak down test. I currently have an AMC cylinder head on the engine. I am trying to remove the cylinder head but I have run into a small problem. I cannot lift the cylinder head off the engine because it seems to be catching on the plastic guard on the timing belt side of the engine. I have removed the timing belt, timing belt tensioner, the bolt holding the plastic guard to the cylinder head front and back (bolt #19 on page 15A-4 in the Bentley manual)
I do not have VW tool # T10052 so I have not removed the cam hub. I did not think it was necessary when just removing the cylinder head. There is a metal piece behind the cam hub that is catching on the plastic guard and preventing me from lifting the cylinder head straight off.

I cant find any procedure online for removing the cylinder head and it is not covered in the Bentley manual. I ordered the VW dvd-rom from Bentley but I cannot open it because it must be opened on a windows 2000 or window XP operating system only.

Does the cam sprocket hub need to be removed before taking the cylinder head off? Thanks
 

crazyrunner33

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 11, 2006
Location
NC
TDI
'10 Golf(bought back)
I pulled the cam sprocket and cam and did not have an issue pulling the head off. Also, contact Bentley and they'll convert your account to the web based manual.
 

TDI817

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 16, 2008
Location
Langford, BC
TDI
2006 Jetta TDI, 2006 Jetta TDI, 2018 Golf-R
I pulled the cam sprocket and cam and did not have an issue pulling the head off. Also, contact Bentley and they'll convert your account to the web based manual.

If I had a cam sprocket pully removal tool I could remove it. But I am trying to figure out if I can take the cylinder head off with out removing the cam sprocket. Otherwise I have to order the tool and wait for shipping.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
You will need to remove the cam sprocket.

If you take the outer part off (just the three smaller bolts) and expose the inside hub part, you may be able to use a strap wrench as suggested around the hub to hold it while you take the center bolt off, but then you'll still need a puller to pop the hub loose from the tapered end of the cam.

I would get the proper tools.
 

TDI817

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Joined
Jul 16, 2008
Location
Langford, BC
TDI
2006 Jetta TDI, 2006 Jetta TDI, 2018 Golf-R
I was able to remove the cam sprocket because I had the cam shaft lock installed as well as a crankshaft lock. The entire head assembly will lift almost half an inch before getting caught on the plastic guard. Ill have to order a puller online.
 

JETaah

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Joined
Jan 18, 2001
Location
mi 48836
TDI
96 B4V, 1999.5 jettaIV,2005 BEW Beetle
I was able to remove the cam sprocket because I had the cam shaft lock installed as well as a crankshaft lock. The entire head assembly will lift almost half an inch before getting caught on the plastic guard. Ill have to order a puller online.
Having a puller is great but I have never used one on these.
You can remove the #1 cam block and use a brass drift to give 'er a whack on the back of the solid part of the pulley. Do not hit the sheet metal part.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
I just use a generic bolt grip puller, used for all kinds of things. Nothing special. It isn't a model or engine specific tool.

I DO use the correct 3-pin counterhold spanner tool, though. But I work on stuff every day, so my tool collection is extensive. If you are just a shade tree and you have the time, you can certainly improvise all kinds of things. I have no time for that :eek:

And it never ends, just recently had to buy a new oil fill funnel since after ~40 years VAG decided to change the oil fill cap design... the one they've been using on just about every engine except the Transporters. :rolleyes:
 

Mike_04GolfTDI

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Nov 19, 2003
Location
Richmond, BC, Canada
TDI
Mine: 2019 Golf R DSG, Wife's: 2015 Golf Comfortline TDI
Having recently done this, I believe what catches on the plastic part is the little bent tabs on the cam hub. They are the little metal things that are read by the cam position sensor. There are four groups of two, with different spacing between them depending on which cylinder they indicate.

So, MAYBE you can turn the cam to various positions until you find the sweet spot where the head will lift up without the metal tabs catching on the plastic thing.

NOTE, you don't want to turn the cam with any pistons at the top of their stroke, so what you could do is the following:

I'm assuming you already have the timing belt off if you've been trying to lift the head up. You've got the crank and cam locked at TDC with their respective locking tools.

If you have the engine at top dead center, turn the crankshaft counter-clockwise 90 degrees. This will put all the pistons halfway up in the cylinders, so they're far away from the valves.

Next, remove the cam lock tool and you can spin the cam around without valves hitting anything. Try to find a position where you can lift the head without catching on the plastic.

Unless you have some reason to move the crank, just leave it with the pistons halfway up. Then you can place the new or rebuilt head on the engine and torque it down. Then lock the cam at TDC, then turn the crank clockwise 90 degrees back to TDC. Just make sure you don't go past TDC and start turning things around and around with the head bolted on!

By the way, that hub is pressed on the cam VERY TIGHTLY. To get mine off I used a hydraulic press in a shop and when it came off, it was like a shotgun blast. BOOOM... That thing was on there. Just thought you should know so you don't waste your time trying to get it off with anything other than the correct tool, or a press of some type.

PS - Remember to drain your oil pan and fill with new oil before you start the engine with the replacement head. It'll probably be full of coolant which went down the oil passages when the head was unbolted...
 
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TDI817

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 16, 2008
Location
Langford, BC
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2006 Jetta TDI, 2006 Jetta TDI, 2018 Golf-R
Having recently done this, I believe what catches on the plastic part is the little bent tabs on the cam hub. They are the little metal things that are read by the cam position sensor. There are four groups of two, with different spacing between them depending on which cylinder they indicate.

So, MAYBE you can turn the cam to various positions until you find the sweet spot where the head will lift up without the metal tabs catching on the plastic thing.

NOTE, you don't want to turn the cam with any pistons at the top of their stroke, so what you could do is the following:

I'm assuming you already have the timing belt off if you've been trying to lift the head up. You've got the crank and cam locked at TDC with their respective locking tools.

If you have the engine at top dead center, turn the crankshaft counter-clockwise 90 degrees. This will put all the pistons halfway up in the cylinders, so they're far away from the valves.

Next, remove the cam lock tool and you can spin the cam around without valves hitting anything. Try to find a position where you can lift the head without catching on the plastic.

Unless you have some reason to move the crank, just leave it with the pistons halfway up. Then you can place the new or rebuilt head on the engine and torque it down. Then lock the cam at TDC, then turn the crank clockwise 90 degrees back to TDC. Just make sure you don't go past TDC and start turning things around and around with the head bolted on!

By the way, that hub is pressed on the cam VERY TIGHTLY. To get mine off I used a hydraulic press in a shop and when it came off, it was like a shotgun blast. BOOOM... That thing was on there. Just thought you should know so you don't waste your time trying to get it off with anything other than the correct tool, or a press of some type.

PS - Remember to drain your oil pan and fill with new oil before you start the engine with the replacement head. It'll probably be full of coolant which went down the oil passages when the head was unbolted...

I really though this would work. I tried many times to get the head off. Those metal tabs are located every 90 degree of rotation and the plastic coveres 180 degrees of rotation. I don’t think there is a sweet spot so I’ve order VW tool T10052. Hope to see it early next week.
 

mu3098

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Joined
Dec 29, 2010
Location
Ontario, Canada
TDI
2006 VW Jetta TDI, 2011 VW Golf Wagon TDI
When you removed the timing belt tensioner did you remove the stud it mounts on or just removed the nut to remove the tensioner. The stud screws into the cylinder head and goes through the plastic cover.
 

TDI817

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Joined
Jul 16, 2008
Location
Langford, BC
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2006 Jetta TDI, 2006 Jetta TDI, 2018 Golf-R
When you removed the timing belt tensioner did you remove the stud it mounts on or just removed the nut to remove the tensioner. The stud screws into the cylinder head and goes through the plastic cover.

The stud is still in the cylinder head. I’m assuming that I’ll be able to lift the head high enough to clear everything before the stud becomes an issue.

At the moment I am only able to move the head up about .25” to .5” before it catches those metal clips on the plastic. The stud still has plenty of room before touching the plastic.
 

sptsailing

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Jul 9, 2010
Location
Safety Harbor, FL
TDI
2006 Jetta Manual, stock with Panzer Plate & Franko6 modified EGR cooler & CAM
I recently had to remove the cam hub from my cam shaft. Franko6 had advised me to use a punch and whack it from the back with a hammer, being careful not to hit the attached steel plate used for the cam position sensor. I sprayed Loctite Liquid Wrench front and back on the hub and it popped free with just a couple whacks. The hub bolt needs to remain in, but unscrewed a few turns when you do this so the hub doesn't fall.

Regarding the hub bolt, you could simply remove it with vice grips on the threaded part that the tensioner itself covers.
 

Dalon

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Apr 6, 2015
Location
Ohio
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2006 MKV Jetta TDI 1.9L - 210k 2013 Passat TDI - 27k
Here’s how I remove the sprocket without the tool...remove the 3 smaller bolts that go into the sprocket, then loosen the center sprocket bolt but don’t remove...leave about 3-5 threads threaded. Then I took a 1/2” ratchet, pushed it against the back of the sprocket and smacked the other end with the side of a hammer until the sprocket broke free. Be careful to not hit the cam position sensor tabs.
 

Ol'Rattler

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jul 3, 2007
Location
PNA
TDI
2006 BRM Jetta
I was able to remove the cam sprocket because I had the cam shaft lock installed as well as a crankshaft lock. The entire head assembly will lift almost half an inch before getting caught on the plastic guard. Ill have to order a puller online.
The cam and crank tools are not designed to have any kind of load put on them. There sole purpose is to index the cam and crank to their respective TDC positions. If you try to use the cam tool as a lock when you break the torque on the big bolt, you will most likely bend the indexing tool and possible destroy the indexing hole in the head.

To remove the 3 bolts all you need to do is hold the cam by the big center bolt with a socket.

To remove the hub, thread the big bolt back in a few turns and and smack the back of the hub with a brass drift. The reason for leaving the big bolt partially in is to keep the hub from flying across the room. (Tip courtesy of Franko6)

Having the crank and cam tools installed is not necessary when you remove the cam. What you do is pin the crank and the cam just needs to be close to having the index hole lined up. Then you remove the crank pin and the T/B and turn the crank 90 degrees CCW and then you turn the cam 90 degrees CCW.

What this does is puts all of the pistons in the middle of their bores well out of harms from hitting the valves and puts the cam in a position were it can be removed without removing the Tandem pump. (Thanks again Frank)
 
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TDI817

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Joined
Jul 16, 2008
Location
Langford, BC
TDI
2006 Jetta TDI, 2006 Jetta TDI, 2018 Golf-R
The cam and crank tools are not designed to have any kind of load put on them. There sole purpose is to index the cam and crank to their respective TDC positions. If you try to use the cam tool as a lock when you break the torque on the big bolt, you will most likely bend the indexing tool and possible destroy the indexing hole in the head.

My apologies, I had the cam lock tool removed before taking off the 3 bolts on the sprocket.
 

TDI817

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 16, 2008
Location
Langford, BC
TDI
2006 Jetta TDI, 2006 Jetta TDI, 2018 Golf-R
I’ve had a YouTube channel for awhile now, but I’ve just recently started to do vlogs. My YouTube channel will be vlogs of Car related content. Following the repair and build of my 2006 Jetta TDI. I plan to make weekly uploads on my channel. Here is the latest update on the Jetta https://youtu.be/lSbAxIIFAuM

Soon I’ll be adding videos of my 2018 VW Golf-R to my channel
 
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